Executive Board
Sejal Sekhar
Co-President
Sejal Sekhar is a junior studying Public Policy with minors in Business and Law & Society. She joined the Education Center her freshman year and has since served as the Assistant Education Center Director, Education Center Director, and now Co-President of CPG. Sejal is interested in researching educational inequalities and creating policies that address them. Outside of CPG, Sejal is a brother of Cornell's Kappa Alpha Pi Pre-Law Fraternity, a board member of Community Partnership Funding Board, and a dancer on Cornell's competitive Bhangra Team.
Elliott Serna
Co-President
Elliott Serna is a junior at Cornell University’s Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy studying Public Policy. Elliott joined Cornell Policy Group fall of 2023, working as an analyst and later Director of the Center for Domestic Policy, before serving as Co-President. His work centers on the U.S. administrative state, with a focus on how the micro-level behaviors of public servants shape macro-level policy outcomes. Outside of CPG, Elliott is an Undergraduate Research Fellow at The People Lab at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a research assistant for the Data editor of the American Economics Association.
Cabinet
Jaiden Fisher-Dayn
Director of Internal Affairs
Rachel Baron is a junior studying Government, with a minor in International Relations. She has been with CPG’s Domestic Center since Fall 2023, and now serves as Associate Editor and Assistant Center Director. She’s interested in a wide range of policy topics, all centered around how domestic policy can affect human rights on a global scale. Beyond CPG, Rachel is an undergraduate scholar for the Institute of Policy and Global Affairs, an editor for the Cornell International Affairs Review, a brother of Phi Alpha Delta, and a sister in Delta Delta Delta.
Alix Kerebel
Director of External Affairs
Alix Kerebel is a sophomore in the Brooks school studying Public Policy. Within CPG, she writes for the Environment and Technology Center and serves as the Director of External Affairs. Her policy interest lies in environmental policy, and, more specifically, environmental justice.
Keten Abebe
Director of Equity
Keten Abebe is Junior at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy majoring in Public Policy. She is also pursuing three minors respectively in International Relations, Inequality Studies and Law and Society. She joined CPG in Fall 2023 as an analyst for the Foreign Policy Center. Last year, Keten was the Director of Internal Affairs and currently serves as CPG’s inaugural Director of Equity. Keten’s policy interests lie in the field of International Affairs, specifically within sustainability, human rights advocacy, international law, and the intersection between racial/gender disparities and policy. Outside of CPG, Keten is the Vice President of Corporate Relations for the Black Ivy Pre-Law Society, an Institute of Politics and Global Affairs Scholar, a Brooks School course assistant and a Cornell Tradition’s Fellow. She also serves as the university’s Student-Elected Undergraduate Trustee. She also conducts legal review and sustainable development projects as a Research Analyst for Regenerative Africa Consulting and loves exploring the intersection of policy and the law.
Merrick Word-Brown
Director of Advocacy
Merrick is a sophomore at Cornell University majoring in Public Policy with a minor in Global Health. He joined CPG in Spring 2025 as an analyst in the Healthcare Center and now serves as Director of Advocacy. Merrick is passionate about developing and advocating for data-informed policies to address issues such as climate change, health disparities, and income inequality.
Editing Team
Isabela Wilson
Editor in Chief
Isabela Wilson is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Government with minors in International Relations, Law & Society, and East Asian Studies with a focus on the Korean peninsula. She joined Cornell Policy Group in Fall 2023 as a Foreign Policy Analyst and currently serves as its Editor-in-Chief. Her policy interests pertain to national defense and human rights issues affecting East Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific. Outside of CPG, she is also involved in the Cornell International Affairs Review and Pi Lambda Sigma (POLIS). After graduation, Isabela plans to pursue a Juris Doctorate degree with a focus in national security law.
Arjun Anugole
Associate Editor
Rachel Baron is a junior studying Government, with a minor in International Relations. She has been with CPG’s Domestic Center since Fall 2023, and now serves as Associate Editor and Assistant Center Director. She’s interested in a wide range of policy topics, all centered around how domestic policy can affect human rights on a global scale. Beyond CPG, Rachel is an undergraduate scholar for the Institute of Policy and Global Affairs, an editor for the Cornell International Affairs Review, a brother of Phi Alpha Delta, and a sister in Delta Delta Delta.
Avery Prince
Associate Editor
Avery Prince is a sophomore studying Public Policy at the Brooks School. He joined CPG in the fall of 2024 as an analyst in the Domestic Center and served as the Assistant Domestic Center Director in the spring of 2025. His policy interests lie in the fields of criminal justice, policing, and education. Outside of CPG, Avery is a news writer for the Cornell Daily Sun, a member of Cornell Sports Analytics, the Prison Reform and Education Project, Cornell University American Civil Liberties Union, and the Philanthropy Executive of Pi Kappa Phi.
Krystlove Yeboah
Associate Editor
Rachel Baron is a junior studying Government, with a minor in International Relations. She has been with CPG’s Domestic Center since Fall 2023, and now serves as Associate Editor and Assistant Center Director. She’s interested in a wide range of policy topics, all centered around how domestic policy can affect human rights on a global scale. Beyond CPG, Rachel is an undergraduate scholar for the Institute of Policy and Global Affairs, an editor for the Cornell International Affairs Review, a brother of Phi Alpha Delta, and a sister in Delta Delta Delta.
Quinn Friedman
Associate Editor
Rachel Baron is a junior studying Government, with a minor in International Relations. She has been with CPG’s Domestic Center since Fall 2023, and now serves as Associate Editor and Assistant Center Director. She’s interested in a wide range of policy topics, all centered around how domestic policy can affect human rights on a global scale. Beyond CPG, Rachel is an undergraduate scholar for the Institute of Policy and Global Affairs, an editor for the Cornell International Affairs Review, a brother of Phi Alpha Delta, and a sister in Delta Delta Delta.
Center Directors
Amani Agrawal
Director, Center for
Domestic Policy
Amani Agrawal is a Junior studying Industrial and Labor Relations at the ILR School. She joined CPG as a domestic policy analyst in Fall 2024, and now serves as the Domestic Center Director. Amani’s policy interests include prison reform, reduced recidivism, and improving access to healthcare and educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals. Beyond CPG Amani is the Recruitment Director for the Cornell International Affairs Review, a contributing news journalist for the Cornell Daily Sun, and a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.
Aryan Shah
Director, Center for
Economic Policy
Aryan Shah is a sophomore studying Public Policy, with intended minors in Data Science and Applied Economics. He joined CPG in Fall 2024 as an analyst in the Economic Center, and currently serves as the Director of the Center for Economic Policy. Aryan’s policy interests lie at the intersection of economic policy and data analysis, specifically in the fields of infrastructure, urban development, and economic inequality. Outside of CPG, Aryan is an Undergraduate Democracy Fellow for the Cornell Center on Global Democracy, an analyst for the Cornell Data Journal, and a member of a social fraternity.
Danielle Berkowitz
Danielle Berkowitz is a junior studying public policy at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, with intended minors in Law and Society and Business. She joined CPG in the fall of 2023 as an analyst for the Center for Education Policy and now serves as its Center Director. Danielle’s policy interests focus on addressing education inequality by advancing access to resources and supporting underrepresented communities. Her experience across the nonprofit, government, and private consulting sectors has strengthened her commitment to equity-driven and community-focused policymaking.
Director, Center for
Education Policy
Kashyap Rajesh
Director, Center for
Environment & Technology Policy
Kashyap Rajesh is a sophomore at Cornell University studying Information Science and Government, with a minor in AI. He joined CPG in Fall 2024 and currently serves as the Director of the Center for Environment & Technology Policy. His policy interests span a range of tech-related issues, including AI-generated deepfakes, AI companions, surveillance and data privacy, national security risks, and chip/export control policy. On campus, Kashyap is involved in the Kappa Alpha Pi Pre-Law Fraternity, Cornell Tarana A Cappella team, Cornell Consult Your Community, and the Cornell Political Strategy Group.
Zaki Ahmad
Director, Center for
Foreign Policy
Zaki is a sophomore majoring in Industrial and Labor Relations with minors in Finance and International Markets & Development. He joined CPG in Fall 2024 and currently serves as the Director of the Center for Foreign Policy, where he focuses on writing about labor and international economic issues. Outside of CPG, Zaki competes in consulting case competitions, is an active member of UCHA, a social fraternity, and enjoys running in his free time
Kimia Shahriyar
Director, Center for
Healthcare Policy
Elliott Serna is a student at Cornell University’s Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy studying Public Policy with a minor in Urban and Regional Studies. Elliott serves as Center Director of CPG’s Domestic Policy Center, supporting the Center’s work at the fore of all topics touching US domestic policy. Outside of CPG, Elliott is a student researcher working on housing policy research with the Brooks School’s Senior Associate Dean of Public Engagement, Dr. Jamila Michener, and economics replication work with Cornell’s Labor Dynamics Institute, with a particular research interest in community development and administrative reform.
New Member Educators
Austin Grattan
New Member Educator
Austin is a senior at the Brooks School of Public Policy. He majors in Health Care Policy and minors in LGBT Studies and Law & Society. He is originally from Albany, NY. He has previous work experience at The Brookings Institution, the US Government Accountability Office, the Emerson Collective, and the New York League of Conservation Voters. At Cornell, he is involved in undergraduate research with the LDI Replication Lab and is a member of Alpha Iota Gamma Pre-Health Professional Fraternity. In the future, he hopes to be an empirical health economist.
Zain Ali
New Member Educator
Zain is a senior from Houston, TX studying Public Policy in the Brooks School where his primary policy interests are in Foreign and Education Policy. He is also active in the Cornell Political Union as Events Director, the Cornell Veterans Association, and with the Ithaca Big Brothers Big Sisters as a mentor. In his free time, Zain loves to read, play video games, and watch sunsets.
Enrico Hernandez
Program Assistant, New Member Education
Rachel Baron is a junior studying Government, with a minor in International Relations. She has been with CPG’s Domestic Center since Fall 2023, and now serves as Associate Editor and Assistant Center Director. She’s interested in a wide range of policy topics, all centered around how domestic policy can affect human rights on a global scale. Beyond CPG, Rachel is an undergraduate scholar for the Institute of Policy and Global Affairs, an editor for the Cornell International Affairs Review, a brother of Phi Alpha Delta, and a sister in Delta Delta Delta.
Strategic Advisors
Kaitlyn Varriale
Graduate Strategic Advisor
Kaitlyn Z. Varriale is a Cornell Sloan MHA Candidate and Fellow, and an alumna of the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, where she graduated in three years with a BS in Health Care Policy and minors in Health Equity and Law & Society. She currently serves as CPG’s Graduate Strategic Advisor, having begun as a Healthcare Center Analyst in her freshman fall and rising to Healthcare Center Director by her sophomore fall. Kaitlyn brings extensive experience from Northwell and is passionate about advancing health justice and operational excellence through strategic administration. Outside CPG, she is Vice President of Strategic Planning for Sloan’s Women+ in Healthcare Leadership, a Teaching Assistant for U.S. Healthcare Systems, and a Legislative Policy Committee member on the Breakthrough T1D Young Advocates in Action Council, as well as other roles on and off campus. Kaitlyn enjoys outdoor recreation, working out, and spending time with family and friends. She aspires to become a health system administrator, leading strategy to elevate the health of all.